Embodiments of the present invention relate to systems and methods for electronic monitoring of a motor vehicle chassis and/or movable freight container. This monitoring can comprise location tracking, tamper detection, environmental monitoring, redundant mesh networks, redundant devices, and communication with locks and vehicle sensor systems.
The US Federal Bureau Investigation reported that in 2015 over $30B per year of cargo was lost in the USA due to theft. Theft rates can be even higher in other countries. Historically, the best solution was to lock the cargo as well as possible. For additional security, it is desired to use wireless communication technologies, Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS), and the Internet of Things (IoT) to track cargo location and history. This can also provide information about the location and history of a cargo.
The following is a list of desirable features for an electronic tracking, monitoring, and/or locking system or method for a vehicle chassis and/or movable freight container:    (a) The system and/or method should be as reliable as possible. For example, it should work consistently in a typical freight container environment, including exposure to a broad temperature range, moisture, humidity, shock, vibration, dirt, chemicals, and pollution.    (b) The system and/or method should report and/or record environmental exposure by, for example, recording parameters such as temperature and vibration.    (c) The system and/or method should be configured to operate for long time periods without recharging. Low power consumption, sufficient battery storage, and the capability of harvesting power while in use can be features for accomplishing this goal.    (d) The system and/or method should be tamperproof. If tampered with, the system should immediately communicate an alarm, as well as system location at the time of tampering.    (e) To reduce the possibility of tampering, the system and/or method should be hidden, or be small and/or unobvious.    (f) The system and/or method should track location and communicate location information back to a “base” on a regular basis.    (g) The system or method should transmit alarms when an abnormal condition occurs, such as being outside of a geographical boundary, failure or tampering with any component, loss of communication with a fixed asset, and/or any other out of normal condition identified.    (h) The system and/or method needs to be affordable, easy to manufacture, and easy to maintain.    (i) The system and/or method should integrate with industry standard communications technologies and protocols.    (j) The system and/or method should be configured to be used anywhere in the world.    (k) The system and/or method should have multi-level communication capability with other similar systems and other vehicle systems and smart devices carried by mobile individuals, in addition to being IoT enabled.    (l) The system and/or method could incorporate optical, electro-optical and radar sensors such as cameras, lidars and radars.
It should be understood that the drawings are not necessarily to scale. In certain instances, details that are not necessary for an understanding of the invention or that render other details difficult to perceive may have been omitted. It should be understood that the invention is not necessarily limited to the particular embodiments illustrated herein.